Office Stiff
by xXx.Kiss.Me.Crimson.xXx
Summary: Edward Cullen was absolutely gorgeous, able to make any girl swoon and faint at his feet. Problem? He was stiffer than a sexually deprived man's erection. Bella comes in as his nervous new assistant. Problem? Nobody had lasted longer than a week. AU. AH.
1. Prologue: Paper Pusher

**A/N**: This is my second Twilight fanfic. I just want to take the time now to thank everyone who reviewed and added my story "Vampire Occasion" to their favorites, and added me as a favorite author and author alert. You guys keep me writing. Anyone who wants to read my other Twilight fanfic, just go to my profile. Thanks again to everyone! Onto the story!

**Disclaimer**: I own neither Twilight or the characters. If I did, I would be Stephenie Meyer. If I was Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't waste my time on fanfics. ;D

Prologue: Paper Pusher

I couldn't understand it. As much as I prodded and pried with my brain, nothing made sense. What did I do to deserve this? My boss stood before me, annoyance written over all of his features. He looked utterly pissed, yet it only seemed to make him more beautiful. I, reckless little Bella, had the most gorgeous guy on the planet for a boss.

Problem? He was a stiff.

I could tell he had a body any model would kill for, even under his black business suit; gifted with a body even the Greek gods would be jealous of, and he wasted it on pushing papers around. My gorgeous, wasteful boss, Edward Cullen.

"Isabella?" his smooth, velvet voice echoed around my mind and I used the best of my ability to commit it to memory.

"Y-Yes?" I felt the blood rush to my cheeks in a rush. I couldn't even say one word to him without stammering and acting like a fool. My gaze stayed connected to the desk I was sitting at, refusing to meet his piercing gaze.

I could almost hear the incredulity and annoyance increase in his voice. "Did you not hear me?"

My blush increased until I knew even my neck had to be red now. "You...You said something?"

He let out a sigh. I risked a glance up at him and my heart started to splutter in my chest. He was running his long fingers through his bronze hair, making the mess even more untamed. His emerald gaze was completely filled with exasperation, but they still shone like jewels in the sunlight. His pale, chiseled features sent the heat on my face into overdrive and I was afraid I was a little smoldering pile of ash by now. If only his casual, elegant features didn't contradict his constant formal, businesslike personality.

"Yes, I said something. I asked you to hand me those forms at least five times by now."

My eyes widened in embarrassment before frantically searching the desk for his papers, his fixed gaze flustering me even more. I finally found them under my paper weight and quickly grabbed them before thrusting them towards him with my head down.

I felt the papers removed more my grasp and heard his soft sigh before the sound of his shoes returning down the hallway filled my ears.

I let out my own sigh before burying my face in my hands. To think, it was only my first day here. It felt like I had been here for a lifetime. I remembered what the interviewer—Angela, I believe was her name—told me, and felt my blood chill slightly

Nobody had lasted more than a week as Edward Cullen's assistant.

**A/N**: So, what do you think so far? Tis good? Or horridly bad? Reviews make me type faster. ;D


	2. Chapter One: Unemployed Author

**A/N:** I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this story until now. I've just been loaded down with homework from school and my computer seems to enjoy crashing every other week. But I'm not abandoning this story, or any of my others. I can't promise when I can update, but I will try to the best of my ability to make sure it's often.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed and alerted this story. It means a lot to me that you guys actually like this story so far lol. Anyways, on to the fic! Oh, by the way, I changed the time that the assistants lasted from a month to a week. I thought a month was a short enough amount of time to intimidate someone...until my friend told me he hadn't lasted more than a month at any of his jobs lol.

**Disclaimer**: I own neither Twilight or the characters. If I did, I would be Stephenie Meyer. If I was Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't waste my time on fanfics. ;D

Chapter One: Unemployed Author

I tapped my feet restlessly on the tile floor, the sound echoing around me. I felt oddly out of place in the comfortable velvet chair that I was in. Everything in this little office was expensive; I could tell just from looking at them: the desks, chairs, computers. Hell, even the windows screamed money. I tried to shrink back into the chair, feeling inadequate for even walking in. But, I had no choice.

I had interviewed for so many jobs, from one side of Chicago to the other. I put on my game face, smiled, rambled, and left depressed from every interview because I already knew what would happen.

I wouldn't get the job.

I had applied to dozens of jobs, and I hadn't even gotten a call back from any of them. I was doomed to remain jobless for the rest of my days. The only emotion that overpowered my self-disgust was my guiltiness for having to borrow money off of Charlie. I had to pay for my apartment somehow, and I promised him I would pay him back. But that didn't make the guilt lessen. In fact, it somehow made it worse.

I let out a sigh and drummed my fingers on the arm of the chair. I tried to keep the depression from settling in. After all, it certainly wouldn't help me to be all wound up in a knot and have them think I was a manic depressive. I tried to keep Jake's words at the front of my mind.

"_Stay calm and be myself?!" I cried in horror. How could he expect for me to be myself? Being myself was what usually made me _lose_ the job._

_Jacob just started laughing at me, obviously not understanding how horrible his suggestion actually was._

_His wide smile spread across his face, the white of his teeth contrasting greatly with his russet skin._

"_Yeah, Bells. Just go in, stay calm, and be yourself. Being yourself isn't a bad thing, you know."_

_I scoffed at his ignorant words. "Yeah, until it comes to dancing."_

_His answering laugh echoed around the room._

His words that had seemed so stupid to me yesterday were suddenly the only thing that was keeping me from running out of the room.

I discovered that this was the only problem with being an author-in-the-making. You have a great idea, an idea that you want to share with others and that they might actually enjoy, but then you have to take the time to write it. Then you have to find a publisher. Then you have to get it published. Then you have to wait and see if it sells.

Overall, there's a lot of waiting and little money.

I couldn't turn my back on my story however. I had a dedication. Not only to myself, but also to my characters. They had a story to tell, and I would make sure that it would get out...somehow. Even if I had to print fifty copies and place them in random stores.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as the only door in the room opened. I quickly stopped my drumming fingers and tapping shoes, trying desperately to look professional and not pissed off for depressing myself. I kept my gaze trained to the floor as I tried to stand swiftly, only to land in a tangled heap on the floor. I cursed my two left feet as I stood up and dusted myself off, trying to look casual while my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I wouldn't blame them if they told me they wanted me to leave right now.

I kept my eyes glued to floor and prepared myself for the onslaught of "you-don't-need-to-be-here" stares. However, the exact opposite reaction came from my interviewer. I gazed at my interviewer as she let chuckles escape freely from her mouth.

Her simple yet elegant outfit of dark grey slacks and a pink blouse made my blue shirt and khaki skirt seem insufficient...just like everything else in the room. She looked at me with a small smile still plastered on her face.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Swan," she said, her quiet voice still containing the edge of laughter, "I'm Angela Weber. You're here for the assistant's job?"

I nodded, trying to keep my blush under control. Somehow, even though she worked in a place like this, she seemed to be just as shy as me.

She smiled back, welcoming, no longer laughing at my clumsiness. "Well, if you could follow me back through to the office."

She disappeared back through the door she came from and I trailed after her, trying my best not to drag my feet and yell about clumsy, awkward girls never getting jobs where elegance is obviously required. We walked down the hallways in silence, the white walls making me feel like I was in a hospital...again. We finally reached another door and stepped through it to another office. I really shouldn't have been surprised at the classiness.

Ms. Weber went to sit behind the gleaming mahogany desk and gestured for me to sit in the velvet, burgundy chair in front of it. I sat down quietly, my blush still simmering on my face.

"So, Ms. Swan, shall we begin?" she asked, her voice still as quiet as the beating of a butterfly's wings.

I nodded my head, trying to not embarrass myself.

"Well, Ms. Isabella Swan"—

"Please, just call me Bella," I interrupted.

She looked slightly flustered at being cut off, but she just smiled and didn't say anything. "Bella, what is your work experience?"

I looked her in the eyes, trying to put Jake's advice to use and stay calm. "I have a lot of experience and I have worked for a variety of jobs. I can pretty much try anything." I didn't add that what I generally tried, I also generally failed.

Her smile brightened as we continued through the interview. It was the normal questions, the ones that I've had to answer time and time again. Finally, the question I'd been dreading came.

"Why do you want a job with Cullen Cars?"

I quickly averted my eyes away from hers so I could lie truthfully. I didn't like to lie; I was such a horrible liar, I really couldn't even lie to myself. But I knew this question would come, and I didn't want to say, 'Oh, because nobody wanted me, anyone who did fired me the next day, and I really just want some money.'

"I think it would be good experience for me. I've always wanted to be like a secretary. Working with computers and papers seems a lot easier than working with cars." I smiled, trying to seem casual...and trying to calm myself.

I was slightly surprised when Angela's smile disappeared and she stared at me with somber eyes.

"Bella, I don't think you understand." The concern echoed in her every word. "Do you know how many times we have had to advertise for this job?"

I stared at her in confusion. Why would it matter how many times they had advertised for a secretary?

"Um, no, I don't," I mumbled, suddenly nervous.

She kept her gaze steady on mine, and my assumption that she was as shy as me suddenly seemed very stupid.

"Bella...Nobody has lasted more than a week at this job."

I stared at her, trying to fully absorb her words. A week? That was impossible, right? I mean, somebody had to have lasted more than a week. If a normal person without bad luck and klutziness couldn't make it more than a week, then what were my chances? _A week?!_

I swallowed, trying to keep my panic under control and not appear like I was about to run out of the room screaming.

I could do this. I could do this. I could do this.

"...You're joking...Right?" I squeaked, cursing myself for not having enough control to keep my voice level. I never did like that little engine who could.

Angela shook her head slowly at me, her eyes just a serious as her words.

"H-How? How could nobody last more than a week?"

She let out a sigh. "Honestly...I'm not for certain why. Mr. Cullen just never really seems to take to any of his secretaries. He's very...reserved. He doesn't seem to get along with anyone except his family. His secretaries work very closely to him, closer than anyone else in this building. After awhile, I think he just can't stand to be around them anymore. He's extremely complicated."

I didn't realize my eyes were wide until I had to blink. This was...impossible. There wasn't even a point in me staying here for one more second. I needed to just get up, walk out, and go get a job at NASA since it seemed more likely I would stay hired longer there than at Cullen Cars.

"But," Angela said, grounding me from my uprising horror, "I truly believe that you are different from the others. No offense, but you don't really seem to know much about Cullen Cars, and therefore don't know about Mr. Cullen."

Wow...I wasn't as sneaky about my nonexistent knowledge of this business as I thought I was. "Um, no offense taken. But, what would me not knowing him have anything to do with this job?"

Her expression didn't change from its solemnity. "You don't know what he looks like."

I blinked at her in confusion. She _had_ to be joking, because it was simply impractical that what decided whether I got this job or not was me not knowing what he looked like. I had a sudden urge to laugh at her absurdity, but I kept the urge under control for fear that that she was serious.

She suddenly smiled at me like she knew what I was thinking. "I know, that sounds quite odd, but it's the truth. You see, Mr. Cullen is quite...handsome. Neither him nor his ex-secretaries have said it, but I have a strong belief that they only try for the jobs because they want to be near him. But, I'll believe your different and that you could handle the job."

Why was it that the longer this day went, the more crazy it became? How handsome could one guy be for girls to throw themselves at a job simply to be near him? No guy could possible be that handsome.

...And then Adonis himself stepped through the door.

I jumped at the sudden entrance; I hadn't heard footsteps or anything. As I turned to see who it was, I felt as if I melted and had sunken into the creases of the chair. Whoever this intruding stranger was, he was absolutely the most gorgeous man I had ever seen, including on television shows and movie screens.

He was tall, easily six-foot-two. His entire business suit was black and contrasted greatly with his ashen skin, but it was somehow appropriate for him. His suit didn't hid his lankiness, but somehow I knew that he would still be well-muscled. His hair was the most unusual shade, bronze, and was in a casual disarray around his head, completely contradictory to his formal looks. His strong jaw and lean cheekbones, along with his other chiseled features, made up his beautiful face. What drew my complete focus though, what I couldn't look away from, were his eyes. Framed with thick black lashes, his eyes were the same color as the brightest of emeralds in sunlight.

I suddenly realized with a shock, that this _had_ to be who Angela was talking about. This man could be no one other than Mr. Edward Cullen, the owner of Cullen Cars. I also realized that all those girls who had this job just to see him, were completely and utterly justified for their decision.

Who could blame _anyone_ for doing _anything_ just to spend five minutes with _him_?

He didn't even glance at me as he walked into the room. He seemed...almost like he was on a mission of great importance.

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until he spoke and made me gasp.

"Angela, have you seen Alice anywhere?"

His voice slid over me like velvet. The smooth tenor of it went all the way to the marrow of my bones and stayed there, like it was trying to become a part of me.

..._What was wrong with me_?

Angela looked over at him and a slight blush covered her face. Who could blame her? My whole body was probably tomato red. "No, I haven't seen her anywhere."

"Do you think you could look for her?" he asked, his velvet voice darkening my blush ten-fold.

"Um..."Angela looked away from him and turned to me. I wondered how she could look away from him like it was nothing. "Not right now. I'm interviewing Ms. Isabella Swan."

He looked away from Angela to glimpse at me. I felt like I was being observed in a science experiment.

...And the scientist didn't like what he saw.

He simply stared at me while I sat in my chair. Suddenly, his expression turned dark. His gaze turned into a glare, his baleful eyes disgusted with what they saw. I couldn't believe those beautiful eyes could look at someone with such disdain. I hadn't done anything to him! I hadn't even spoken to him. Yet he had already seemed to have decided that he didn't like me. I realized that my entire frame was shaking under his insufferable stare.

Still staring at me he said, "Alright then, I'll continue to look for her myself." With that, he strode out of the room and left me to catch my breath.

Angela stared at me with apologetic eyes. "I'm so sorry about that. He just...doesn't trust people. Don't let him intimidate you."

Him? Intimidating? No, he wasn't intimidating at all.

And the sky wasn't blue either.

I let out a shaky breath. "And you think that I could do this job?"

"Honestly, yes, I think you could. You seem...different from everyone else who's come in here." She smiled warmly at me, but it didn't do anything to comfort me.

I was suddenly curious as to how she could withstand working with him. "How can you not be frightened by him?"

"Well...I don't work with him much at all. I'm just an assistant to one of the architects here. Alice appoints me to hire people when necessary because everyone else is far too busy."

I was curious as to who Alice was, for she seemed very important here, but I still couldn't get over how shaken I was by Edward Cullen. I couldn't get that hateful gaze out of my mind. I wanted to go say something to him, to prove to him that he couldn't do that to someone, but I knew I couldn't.

"There's no way I could do this. I may as well leave."

I stood up on shaky legs out of my seat, ready to leave the room, until Angela spoke to me. "I don't think you should. I can hire you right now and you can start tomorrow. We'll pay double as much as anyone else you go to."

I suddenly faltered in my decision to run away. The money did sound good. I had an apartment, bills, groceries, and all of my other expenses. But Edward Cullen was just too frightening. I wasn't sure if I could work with that day after day.

But then Charlie's face entered my mind.

My father was a kindhearted person, no matter how many layers of that tough cop he put on. I immediately understood why I needed this job. If not for myself, I needed to get it for Charlie so I could finally pay him back for all of the money he lent me.

I sighed, almost already regretting my decision and what I was ready to say. "...Alright. I'll take the job if you'll have me."

Angela beamed with happiness, whether for me, or maybe her own victory, I didn't know.

"That's great, Bella! You can start tomorrow!"

She stood up and I shook her hand numbly. As I walked from the office, and then the building to my car, I knew I would end up regretting this somehow, but there was no way I was turning back now.

...That would just lead me right back to that building.

**A/N:** Once again, I'm so sorry this took so long. I especially feel awful since it's such a short chapter and I should have more written than this. But I'm going to begin writing on the next chapter tomorrow, if my computer will let me, and hopefully have the next one up soon. Thanks again for everyone who reviewed and alerted this story. I'm glad you enjoy it and I'm going to try to make you happy!


	3. Chapter Two: Pixie Dust

**A/N:** Huh...I really have nothing to say. Lol. Here's the chapter!! And I fixed the first chapter because I was going back through it and I found so many mistakes it was terrifying.

**Disclaimer**: I own neither Twilight or the characters. If I did, I would be Stephenie Meyer. If I was Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't waste my time on fanfics. ;D

_**Recap:**_

"_That's great, Bella! You can start tomorrow!"_

_She stood up and I shook her hand numbly. As I walked from the office, and then the building to my car, I knew I would end up regretting this somehow, but there was no way I was turning back now._

_...That would just lead me right back to that building._

Chapter Two: Pixie Dust

My mind was scattering in a thousand directions as I sat down numbly in the plush chair. Its velvet upholstery surrounded me and almost seemed to mold itself to my body. However, even though it felt like sitting on a fluffy pile of feathers, I had never been more uncomfortable in my life.

There was no way this was going to go well.

My first day in Cullen Car Industries—well, my first_ hour_ in Cullen Car Industries, and I was already a nervous wreck. I kept waiting for something disastrous to happen, like, oh, I don't know, a certain boss with bronze hair and hateful eyes to show up and start screaming at me to find a Russian monkey that can sing the national anthem.

...Or something very similar at least.

I let out a sigh and looked at the fancy computer that was sitting on the desk. I refused to call it _my_ desk. That implied some form of permanence, and while I did need the money, I definitely didn't want to be here.

I sunk down into my chair to wait for Alice to appear. I was actually anxious about meeting her. Edward had made such a big deal about looking for her yesterday that I was curious about who this important girl could be. And why she would want to meet with me anyways. All I knew was Angela told me that Alice was going to be here today to welcome me to Cullen Cars.

Like I could ever really feel welcomed here.

"Isabella Swan?"

I snapped up in my chair as I realized that someone was standing in front of me. Damn! I had gotten lost in my own thoughts again. I quickly stood from the chair, only to trip and slam into the desk. I straightened myself while a blush adorned my face and looked at the strange girl standing there.

She was short in the extreme—Was she even five feet tall?—and reminded me of a pixie. Her black hair was cropped short and pointed in every direction. Her outfit was definitely made by some famous designer that I was sure I couldn't even begin to pronounce. Then I looked at her eyes and had to hold in my gasp.

They were almost the exact shade of green as Edward's. They weren't quite as bright, but they were very similar.

She smiled at me as if we were already the best of friends. "Hi! I'm Alice Cullen! Welcome to Cullen Cars!"

I felt my jaw drop slightly. I couldn't help but ask... "Cullen?"

She beamed at me. "Yep! You work for my brother, Edward." Her smile suddenly disappeared and she appeared puzzled. "At least, you should. You are Bella Swan, right?"

I blinked at her and her friendly behavior. She was related to Edward? This little, warm, overly-friendly person was siblings with my tall, cold, hateful boss?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts when I realized I still hadn't answered her question. "Um, yes, I'm Bella."

Her smile returned with a vengeance. "That's great! We're gonna be the best of friends, I can tell already."

I couldn't help but smile back at her, even though I really didn't know how to respond to that.

"So, how is your first day so far?" she asked, genuine curiosity in her eyes.

"Well, I haven't really done anything yet. I've just been here an hour; long enough for Angela to tell me that you wanted to meet me."

She nodded. "I wanted to speak with you about what your job will entail."

My eyes widened as I struggled against the instinct to gulp. I was terrified what this would include. Who knew what Edward would have me doing everyday. With all the disgust that filled his eyes yesterday as he looked at me, I could determine that it wouldn't be good or easy.

She looked around, searching for something, then frowned. She abruptly reached across the desk, grabbed my arm, and forced me to follow behind her as she started walking.

"W-Where are we going?" I stammered. She certainly didn't know how to ask someone to follow her.

"There's nowhere to comfortably sit in here. We're going to Edward's office. He has the best chairs I have ever had the honor to sit in." Her tone was reverent.

At the news that we were going to _Edward's_ office, I immediately wanted to turn and run the other way. And I probably would have if it weren't for the pixie that was still dragging me along by my arm.

Hm...Come to think of it, she was so small, I could probably run and just take her with me.

I internally flinched at my behavior. How could I act so cowardly? Edward Cullen was my boss now. I had to suck it up and deal with it. After all, I didn't even really know the guy.

I steeled my thoughts as we approached the door that had a plaque with his name and title. I held my breath as Alice opened the door...

...And then quickly released it when I saw Edward wasn't in his office currently.

I didn't know how happy I was about not having to confront his glares until I realized I wanted to breakdance.

Alice released my arm to go sit behind Edward's desk in his black leather chair. And I had to admit, it did look extremely comfortable. I followed suit and sat in the leather chair in front of the desk. I almost audibly moaned at how soft the chair was. Forget my chair that felt like soft feathers; this chair was nothing less than the perfect cloud.

I looked to Alice to see that she seemed just as entranced by her chair, so I took the time to quickly look around Edward's office.

It was surprisingly...personal. Along his desk were pictures of himself and other people, including a group picture of him, Alice, a huge weightlifter, a handsome—which was an understatement—man that looked like a doctor, and a warm mother figure. I was shocked to discover that, indeed, he was _smiling_ in all the pictures. After the vicious glare he gave me yesterday, I figured that he never smiled at anything. The rest of his office had paintings and awards for Cullen Cars hanging on the walls. I slightly turned to see that the whole wall behind me was a bookshelf...and it was filled entirely with books and CDs—it might even hold a candle to my own collection. There was even a piano standing in the corner, away from everything else, like it had deserved a spot for itself. What surprised me the most was that I liked it in here...

Alice cleared her throat, making my attention go back to her. It seemed that her smile was permanently in place, for she was grinning when I looked at her. "Alright Bella, I'm going to give you a very brief synopsis of your job."

I held my breath and tried not to tremble in my seat as I waited impatiently.

"Basically, you do whatever Edward says."

I sat there and continued to wait for more...but she didn't say anything. I raised an eyebrow at her. "That's it?"

She beamed at me. "That's it. Of course, this will probably include some paperwork, running some errands, accepting phone calls, but that's really it."

I frowned. "Then why are you paying me so much?"

Her smile suddenly disappeared. Her voice was somber as she spoke. "Well, first off, I just want to say that it's not completely Edward's fault. He's been seriously wronged in the past. But, basically, we're paying you so much because we seriously need one of Edward's secretaries to last more than a week."

Her words twirled around my head. What could have happened to him so bad that he would hate all of his secretaries before he even got to know them? It was then I realized that was the reason he was so cold.

He had been hurt.

I don't know why, especially since I didn't particularly know him, but I imagined my boss as the strong, brave type. Someone who was impenetrable. The pictures of him smiling on his desk suddenly came into my mind, and a wave of sympathy for this man crashed over me.

Not only had he been hurt, but he'd been hurt badly enough to change his entire demeanor.

...I had an extremely odd urge to go and comfort Edward Cullen, who probably wanted comfort as much as he wanted Herpes.

I focused on Alice again. "I don't understand. Do the secretaries quit or does Edward fire them? And are they all female?" I had remembered what Angela said about all the secretaries wanting to be near him.

Alice slightly shook her head. "Unfortunately, yes, the only people who have applied for the job have been women. Apparently, men don't want to be secretaries...or the women in this city are just really determined to be next to Edward. And generally, he just fires them. He would fire them all on the first day if I didn't convince him to give them a shot. But sometimes they quit just to get away from him."

I gulped. "So what makes you think I'll last longer?"

She smiled again, her flawless white teeth showing. "I have a strong feeling that you'll be able to change him. And I'm generally right about these things."

"These things?"

She laughed. "The future, silly. I'm very intuitive."

I resisted the urge to shake my head at her and laugh. She seemed so...childish, but in a good way.

She sobered, but still had a small smile on her face. "But please, Bella, don't take Edward's actions to heart. He's just...confused right now. He'll need some time to adjust to you of course, but just be patient with him."

I nodded at her and promised myself to do just that. I didn't know what had happened to Edward Cullen, I'm not quite sure I _wanted_ to, but I knew I would do my best to relax around him like Alice wanted.

"Um, Alice?"

I felt odd saying her name so familiarly, but she didn't seem to mind. "Yes?"

"I'm curious; what exactly is your job here?"

She blinked at me before laughing out loud. "Silly Bella! I don't work here!"

I looked at her quizically. "But...Edward was looking for you yesterday and Angela said you appoint her to hire people..."

She nodded. "Edward was looking for me because he simply had something he needed to tell me. And I do appoint Angela to that position because everyone else is too busy. If it were up to Edward, he would never hire for a secretary again and then he'd be up to the stick in his ass in paperwork. I just help out here every now and then."

I flushed at her blunt words and in embarrassment.

Alice seemed to study my reactions with a solemn look until she suddenly had a fire of determination in her eyes. She jumped up from her seat, making me jump in my own. "Alright Bella! It's time for a practice run!"

"Practice run?"

She nodded her head fiercely. "I'm going to be Edward, bad attitude and superiority complex included, and you'll have to do what I say. You're too scared of this job and Edward, I'm sure, will just make it worse. With this practice run, you won't be too surprised when he orders you around!"

I gave her a knowing look. "You mean, so I'll know what to expect so I don't mess up and make him mad?"

She froze as I caught her plan. She turned away, embarrassed. "Well, if you _want_ to look at it that way, you can." She turned to me with the fire in her green eyes ablaze again.

Abruptly, her smile disappeared and a scowl was in its place. She glared at me, and even though I knew she was just pretending, I was still slightly afraid of her.

What was with the Cullens and intimidation?!

"Isabella Swan!" Her yell echoed throughout the room and her voice had dropped a couple of octaves in an imitation of her brother's voice. It would've been quite comical if she didn't look so serious. "I need a cup of coffee!"

I almost stuttered as I answered. "When?"

Alice broke out of her role to correct me. "Never question him, Bella. It's not a good idea; it'll just make him angry."

I nodded and made a mental note before she continued. "Five minutes ago!"

I was puzzled. Did she really want me to go and get a cup of coffee? She broke out of her role again. "Yes, I want you to actually go and get a cup of coffee. You might as well learn where it's at now because he has to have a cup of coffee almost every hour."

I jumped out of my seat, proud for not tripping over myself, and I jogged to the door—I didn't want to jinx my sudden coordination by running. I stopped and turned around to ask her, "How does he like his coffee?"

She looked at me as if I should already know the answer. "Black."

...I really _should_ have already known that.

I continued to jog out the door and down the hall until I realized I didn't know where the coffee machine was at. A tall blonde came out of a door and began running somewhere.

"Wait!" I shouted after him.

He immediately stopped to turn and look at me. His eyes were puzzled and he cocked his head at me. "I don't recognize you, darlin'. You new here?" he asked in a thick Southern drawl.

I just nodded my head. "Do you know where the coffee machine is?"

He pointed down the hall. "Take the elevator to the second floor. It's the third door on the left."

I beamed at him. "Thank you..." I waited for him to tell me his name.

He returned the smile. "Jasper Hale."

"Isabella Swan." I simply said as I jogged off in the direction he pointed.

"Nice to meet you!" he called after me.

I didn't have time to reply as I pushed the down button and entered the elevator. At least it was only one floor down.

I followed Jasper's directions to the room and walked into what had to be the lounge. I didn't take the time to look at anything because, even though it was just Alice and not Edward, I wanted to take this seriously so I'd be prepared for the real thing.

I grabbed a styrofoam cup off the table next to the machine—I'm sure Edward would have a mug I would use officially—and quickly poured it full of the hot brown liquid.

I jogged, though not as quickly, back to my starting point. Even though this was just kind of a joke between me and Alice, I was proud that I had gotten the coffee and made it back so quickly. I smiled as I walked through the door.

...Right when someone else was coming out.

I should have known that if my klutziness didn't get me, my bad luck would. I slammed right into the person and spilled the coffee all over them. At first, I thought I had killed poor Alice, but as the person caught me around the waist and steadied me, I realized I had slammed into a hard muscular chest.

I was almost too terrified to look up, but I knew I had to so I could confirm my worst fears. I slowly raised my gaze to meet a pair of emerald eyes and a mess of bronze hair.

I knew I had promised myself, and sort of Alice, that I would relax around him, but I was too afraid of his vicious stares. I promptly dropped my gaze and shut my eyes.

I knew what would happen. I knew what would happen from the very beginning. It had happened everywhere else. I messed up constantly; it's why I continued to get fired. There was no way I could continue this job where if I messed up once I was likely to get fired.

However, as I continued to stand there, I realized that he hadn't moved his hand from my waist. Actually, asides from being a little tense, he hadn't moved at all. But that didn't mean he wasn't glaring at me right this instant.

I felt before I heard his sigh of exasperation. He removed his hand from my waist and gently pushed me back, but I still didn't open my eyes.

I had to still my gasp of surprise as I felt a finger gently lifting my chin. I couldn't help myself as I opened my eyes to stare at his face. I was no more immune to it today than I was yesterday. His eyes almost knocked the breath out of me. Not only did they seem a brighter green today, but they weren't set in a glower. Aside from a twinge of annoyance, they actually seemed gentle.

He cocked his head at me. "Are you alright?"

Was I delusional? This almost seemed like a completely different man from the one I met yesterday. The only thing that kept my sanity was that Alice and Angela knew he was generally spiteful. Then again, we could be having a group hallucination of some sort.

I couldn't stop my stammer as I spoke. "I-I'm fine."

He released me completely and took a step back away from me. It was then I noticed the coffee all over his crisp white shirt. Before I could stop myself, I rested a hand over the coffee stain on his chest. I could feel his heart thumping strongly underneath my fingerips as he became rigid. "I'm so sorry Edwa—Mr. Cullen!" I looked back into his eyes which had tightened fractionally. "You can charge me for the dry cleaning or take it out of my salary. I'm sorry."

He took another step back away from me and I let my hand fall limply by my side. He smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes...or any other part of him for that matter. He was still standing as if he were made of stone. His eyes seemed slightly wild.

...Like he was afraid of _me_.

"It's alright, Isabella. Just try to be more careful." With that said, he continued to walk past me and down the hall as if nothing had happened.

I had to force myself to hold still as I watched him walk away. I didn't really know what to do, but I knew I wanted to do something to ease the ache that was so visibly inside of him.

I turned towards the door to see Alice standing there, staring at me with wide eyes and her jaw dropped. It was then I discovered I was slightly trembling.

I bent down to pick up the cup but Alice grabbed my arm. As I stood back up, she threw her arms around my neck with a squeal of joy. I didn't know what to do so I awkwardly wrapped an arm around her and patted her on the back.

She pulled back and looked at me with excited eyes. "Bella, do you have any idea what you just did?!"

I winced. "Yeah, I just spilled coffee all over my boss, resulting in his stained shirt and a stained floor."

She scoffed, like I was missing something. "No! You just messed up, and Edward didn't yell at you!"

"Because he didn't yell, we should be happy?" I asked, puzzled.

"Yes!"

I stared at her. She was...odd to say the least. I didn't understand why someone would be so happy over someone not yelling, but I didn't know Edward like she did.

She turned away and quickly began contemplating the whole scene. "I've never seen him act like that towards any secretary before. This may work yet..."

I let out a sigh, even though I was curious as to what would work exactly. "Don't count on it, Alice. Maybe he's just in a good mood today."

She turned and glared at me, but I could tell it was half-hearted. "Don't you know, Bella?"

"What?"

"Anything is possible with faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust."

I wanted to laugh at her Peter Pan quote, but as I looked at my new pixie friend, with happiness and resoluteness bright in her eyes, and as I thought of Edward Cullen's strange behavior, I realized that she just might be right.

...At least about the pixie dust, because she definitely wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

**A/N:** Alright, there's the chapter! I know Bella just seemed extremely terrified of Edward in this chapter, but that's because she's afraid of confrontation. Remember how shaken up she was when he reacted to her in the first chapter of Twilight? Lol. But, I hope you enjoyed it! I think I keep getting more and more OOC with the characters though. Lol.


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